Hosta plant named &#39;Little Jay&#39;

ABSTRACT

A new and distinct  Hosta  plant named ‘Little Jay’ characterized by lance-leafed, dwarf-sized, leaves with blue green margins, light yellow to creamy leaf centers, vertical flower scapes with light purple flowers, suitable for landscape, potted culture, or cut flower arrangements.

BOTANICAL CLASSIFICATION

Hosta hybrid (Tratt.)

VARIETY DENOMINATION

‘Little Jay’

SUMMARY, BACKGROUND AND ORIGIN OF THE PLANT

The present invention relates to the new and distinct hosta plant, Hosta ‘Little Jay’ discovered by Hendrik Jan van den Top at a nursery in The Netherlands. The Plant is an un-induced whole plant sport of the Hosta cultivar ‘Beauty Little Blue’ (not patented). ‘Beauty Little Blue’ is a cross of Hosta ‘Blue Cadet’ (not patented) with Hosta clausa var. normalis (not patented). The plant has been successfully asexually propagated by division and tissue culture methods at a plant nursery in Barneveld, The Netherlands and found to produce identical plants that maintain the unique characteristics of the original plant. The plant is stable and reproduces true to type in successive generations of asexual reproduction.

Hosta ‘Little Jay’ differs from its parents, as well as all other hostas known to the applicant, in that the plant has a very narrow variegated leaf that emerges with the center pale yellow in the spring and with sunlight and warmer temperatures lightens to a white. The leaf margin is green with a slight glaucous bloom producing a slightly bluish cast.

The most similar known hosta cultivar is Hosta ‘Fireworks’ U.S. Plant Pat. No. 16,062. ‘Fireworks has a larger and wider leaf, does not start up as yellow in the center, and the flower is lighter lavender.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The photographs of the new plant demonstrate the overall appearance of the plant, including the unique traits. The colors are as accurate as reasonably possible with color reproductions. Ambient light spectrum, source and direction may cause the appearance of minor variation in color.

FIG. 1 shows the foliage early in the season in Barneveld, Netherlands.

FIG. 2 shows the foliage after flowering in Barneveld, Netherlands.

GENERAL DESCRIPTION OF THE PLANT

There are about 3,500 cultivars registered with The American Hosta Society, which is the International Cultivar Registration Authority for the genus Hosta. Hosta ‘Little Jay’ differs from these and all unregistered cultivars known to the inventor in that it has:

-   -   1. Long lance-like blue green foliage with a light yellow         becoming creamy white center portion of the leaf;     -   2. Short habit, small-sized clumps with medium purple flowers on         creamy yellow scapes.

DETAILED BOTANICAL DESCRIPTION

The following descriptions and color references are based on the 2001 edition of The Royal Horticultural Society Colour Chart except where common dictionary terms are used. The new plant, Hosta ‘Little Jay’, has not been observed under all possible environments. The phenotype may vary slightly with different environmental conditions, such as temperature, light, fertility, moisture and maturity levels, but without any change in the genotype. The following observations and size descriptions are of a two-year old containerized plant in a nursery in Barneveld, Netherlands under controlled shade canopy with supplemental water and fertilizer.

-   Botanical classification: Hosta hybrid. -   Parentage: naturally occurring sport of Hosta ‘Beauty Little Blue’     (not patented). -   Propagation:     -   -   Method.—By sterile laboratory tissue culture division and             garden division; Time to initiate roots from tissue culture:             about four weeks; Rooting habit: normal, fleshy, lightly             branching. -   Plant description:     -   -   Plant shape and habit.—Hardy herbaceous perennial with basal             rosette leaves, symmetrical and arching over, spreading by             rhizomes.         -   Crop time.—under normal summer growing conditions 18 to 20             weeks to finish in a one-liter container; plant vigor is             good to high in comparison to other center variegated             hostas.         -   Plant size.—foliage height at flowering is 11 to 15 cm tall             from soil line to the top of the leaves and 20 to 25 cm wide             above the soil line. -   Foliage description:     -   -   Shape and size.—elliptic to lanceolate leaf blades, narrowly             acute apex and base acutely tapered toward petiole. The leaf             blades are 6 to 9 cm long and 2.5 to 3.0 cm wide; margin is             entire, and the variegation pattern on the darker edge             varies in different regions of the leaf from 2 to 8 mm wide;             4 and 6 pairs of major parallel veins the same color as the             surrounding leaf tissue on the top and bottom of the leaves;             top and bottom surfaces are dull without slight glaucous             bloom; Color of young emerging leaves: Top center surface:             between RHS 3B and RHS 3C; Top margin surface: between RHS             141B and RHS 143A; Underside center: RHS 3D; Underside             margin: RHS 141B with some intermediate between the margin             and center on both top and bottom of RHS N144A and lighter             than RHS N144C. Color of mature leaves: Top surface center:             lighter than RHS 2D; top surface margin: RHS 133A with some             intermediate colors of RHS 133 C and RHS 144C; Underside             center: closest to RHS 2D; underside margin: closest to RHS             133B with intermediate colors of RHS 133 D and lighter than             RHS 133D.         -   Petioles.—3 to 5 cm long and about 5 mm wide. The leaf             margin variegation continues down the petiole about 1 mm             wide of RHS 141 C on young foliage on both top and             underside, and center is nearest RHS 154 D on both surfaces.             On older foliage the petiole the margin of both surfaces is             RHS 143 B, and both surfaces of the center are lighter than             RHS 2D. -   Flower description:     -   -   Buds.—one day prior to opening about RHS 85 C; approximately             3.2 cm long, up to 1.0 cm wide, clavate with acute ovoid             apex and longer thin base.         -   Flowers.—10 to 18 per scape; funnelform; 2.5 to 2.8 cm wide             and about 3.5 cm long, (distal flowers being smaller),             persists for a normal period, usually one day on or cut from             plant, and the scapes remain effective from mid July into             August. No detectable fragrance.         -   Tepal.—two sets of three fused at the base; clavate with             acute apex; entire; approximately 3.5 cm long and 1.0 cm             wide, about RHS N82 D on the outside of both sets becoming             lighter toward the base; inside about RHS N 76 C.         -   Gynoecium.—single; Style — 3.5 to 3.8 cm long, white,             lighter than RHS 11 D, 1 mm diameter, slightly curved at             distal end; Stigma — 1 mm to 2 mm in diameter, white,             lighter than RHS 11 D; Androecium — Filaments — six, white,             lighter than RHS 11 D, less than 1 mm in diameter, about 3.0             cm long; Anthers — 4 mm long, 1.0 mm wide, RHS 83B; Pollen —             elliptical, less than 0.1 mm long, nearest RHS 15 A.         -   Bracts.—bracts below flowers sessile, completely or nearly             completely wrapped around scape; normally up to 1.5 cm long             and 8 mm wide; smaller and protruding when subtending             flowers; margin of both surfaces RHS 141 B; center of both             surfaces when exposed to direct sun between RHS 3C and RHS             3D.         -   Peduncle.—one per mature division, approximately six per             clump; erect 20 to 28 cm tall and about 4 mm in diameter,             pale yellow color RHS 3D with slight glaucous surface.         -   Pedicel.—approximately 0.6 cm long and 2 mm wide; RHS 3C;             curled slightly downward.         -   Fruit.—viable seed has not been observed. -   Disease resistance: Resistance beyond that of other hostas has not     been observed. The plant grows best with plenty of moisture and     adequate drainage, but is able to tolerate some drought when mature.     Hardiness at least from USDA zone 3 through 9, and other disease     resistance is typical of that of other hostas. 

1. A new and distinct cultivar of ornamental Hosta plant named ‘Little Jay’ herein described and illustrated, with lance-like leaves of light yellow to cream in the center and blue green margins, with light purple flowers and dwarf habit, suitable as a potted plant, for the garden, and for cut flower arrangements. 